Uruguay, Ecuador and Malta boast best climates in the world

Uruguay, Ecuador and Malta were named as the best three countries in the world when it comes to climate.

Punta del Este resort in Uruguay

Their temperate weather throughout the year, moderate rainfall and little risk of natural disaster saw them rise to the top of the Climate category, one of eight categories in the Index, which details the top countries in the world for retirement in 2014.

With a perfect score of 100 and for the second year in a row, Ecuador comes out on top in the Climate category and is the overall runner up in this year’s Global Retirement Index. Situated directly on the equator, the country enjoys 12 hours of direct equatorial daylight 365 days a year.

“The best weather in Ecuador is up in the mountains in towns and cities like Cuenca, Otavalo, Vilcabamba, and Quito,” says InternationalLiving.com’s special projects editor, Dan Prescher. “The combination of altitude and amount and intensity of the sunlight makes the weather ideal in my opinion.”

Sitting between 30 and 35 degrees southern latitude is this year’s runner up in the Climate category, Uruguay. It is in a temperate zone and the weather remains uniform. Average temperatures for the mid-winter month of July range from 48F to 54F, while the midsummer month of January varies from 72F to 79F.

Uruguay enjoys four distinct seasons. InternationalLiving.com’s Uruguay correspondent, David Hammond, who has lived in the country for seven years, feels that the climate is perfect. “Uruguay’s winter is mild, and rarely ever gets below freezing. It gets enough rain to keep the country green, and during the summer when it’s warm, it’s nice to be on the Uruguayan coast where there are cooling breezes coming off the water,” says Hammond.

In Europe, Malta comes in third position in the Climate category and enjoys a Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters. Located 60 miles from the Italian island of Sicily, Malta’s location means the climate in winter is relatively warm. High summer can be hot—that’s when expats and locals head to the many beaches.

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I got the (a?) solution.
Regarding the fact that every expat has a negative opinion on just about everything related to South America, and the fact that the Islands are such a wonder of a place, lets all gather the cash needed for the one way ticket to paradise, the Falklands, that is.
That way, the pensions are used in a British colony instead of in SA and the islanders can finally get a CT scanner, the expats will be happy and we will be clapping your achievements and reunion...

A magazine that promotes real estate investment in Ecuador concludes that Ecuador has one of the best climates in the World. No conflict of interest here right? I have been to Cuenca and although there are some nice temps during the day the nights get cold and most houses do not have adequate heating or insulation. The Mexican highlands, Medellin, etc have better climates. Since International Living does not promote real estate there you may not hear about it.

Any league table for best climate is extremely subjective.
It all depends on your physical make up.
Some people love temperatures of 30c + others are happier at 15c
Some like little seasonal change while others like large variations..
On the few occasions I have stayed in the tropics, I could not get used to the shortage of daylight when it was still warm. I preferred the longer summer evenings found in the higher latitudes. Again, personal preference.

#1
I don't think that anyone realistically would say that S.America is not geographically, botanically and biologically a wonderful diverse continent.
The trouble is with it's governments.
I see CT Scanners has been added to your catchphrases for the next interminable round of postings. If you wish to make a point about the Falkland's being too poor to afford this piece of equipment, then I am sure the Islanders will be only too happy to reply.

Clyde,
I would agree the long summer evenings in the higher latitudes can be spectacular, but I still prefer to live where I am.
For a view on British weather, look up A Song of the Weather by Flanders and Swann

@6 I agree Guatemala has the best weather. It never got real cold there and if you want warmer, move from Antigua to the coast or lowlands.
Uruguay weather sucks, super humid and too cold in winter .
I have lived in both Guatemala and Uruguay BTW.

I've lived in Malta and Uruguay and neither is anything like the best climate in the world. Winters in each are cold and wet; summers brutally hot. And in both places houses are not generally insulated, compounding the discomfort, especially in winter.

I disagreed with this article. I presently live in Montevideo, Uruguay, and it was boiling hot here! I traveled in Ecuador and Malta before. Malta was another blazing hot place in the summer, but this place has more civilized and it is much safer than two impoverish countries ~ Ecuador and Uruguay. Ecuador has a huge variety of the climate because of terrain difference ~ cool in the mountain, hot humid in the Amazon Jungle, and generally hot on the coast.

Climate is not a factor for giving satisfaction of your life comforts. For example, Uruguay is very expensive to live and it is more expensive than New York City! Food, consumer goods, and rents are high in Uruguay due to high taxation. Walking at night is not safe here, and the crime is growing. Ecuador is an anti-Americanism country. Their political alignment is with anti-American fervor Hugo Chavez. anti-Americanism graffiti are everywhere in Ecuador. Poverty is everywhere in Ecuador that makes you feel uncomfortable and misery. If you wear casual western clothes and a watchband, they will go after you because they believed that you have the money ~ they had been brainwashed by anti-American capitalism propagandized educational media.

If you don't speak Spanish, then you never make friends in South America unless you pay them with the money. Money is their interests. Che Guevara - Marxist revolutionary is their favorite heroic idol! People in South America love to smoke their cigars and/or cigarettes to your face because they enjoy intimidating to stir up white-skinned gringos! Don’t be duped yourself by trusting their sinister smiling faces! Do not invest in South America because notorious corruption is common, and crooks are common. Infrastructures in South America are awful because brainwashed poverty-stricken citizens and corrupted politicians turned against privatization and opposed the spending on infrastructure needs such as crumbling roads.

Well l have lived in quite a few countries,
Personally l like the altitude.
Talking only about climate, not infrastructure or people's attitudes.
l like:-
The Highlands of New Guinea, above 5,500'
The Highlands of Kenya at 6000'
And Wyoming in the USA.
All are comfortable temperature wise.

@11 Whilst I agree with your (and others) observation that preferred climate is subjective, I disagree with most of what you say after that.

I have great friends in South America, have never had people attempt to intimidate me with smoke or stir-up the white-skinned gringa. If you travel and expect everything to be like your country of origin you are going to be disappointed. Better to travel with an open mind and embrace the good and the differences.

I agree that in developing countries you can be a target if you flash wealth ( who would do that?) but name a city that is safe to walk around at night.

I too live in Uruguay with my wife and frankly you live in the wrong city.

MVD is all the things you say and more, especially with the increase in crime. But why did you come to Uruguay, surely you knew it was “expensive” compared to the USA? Food is only expensive if you buy from the Supemercado’s (which we do I admit) but is cheap and better quality from the town market (but difficult to park near for my wife). We don’t pay rent we bought a very nice place on the coast and yes, consumer goods are expensive but how many goods have you bought if you are renting?

Before we decided to live our retirement here we came on a fact finding holiday and went to lunch with Total Uruguay, I am sure you know the venue. Nearly all Americans there, looking to live cheaply, especially on tax and ALL moaning their heads off all through the lunch about the proposed tax changes forced on Uruguay by the States among others. Does nobody from America do their homework first?

It will be three years this coming May 9th and we have never been back to a Total Uruguay Monthly Lunch, the moaning Americans spoilt it for us.

If you don’t like the things that you say you cannot stand, why do you stay, surely you must be unhappy?

@16 yes Clyde,
That's the one. At the risk of a drop of another hat, you may remember the Weather Forecast sung in plain chant by the Mastersingers Youtube.com/watch?v=4z2jwDcb9w1
I was in Wales a couple of years ago. They had a lovely summer but I must have missed as I was in the bathroom at the time
As to climate not many polar bears in Brazil or crocodiles in Finland?
It's not good thinking if someone emigrates to a different country that he will find a replica of the one he left. If he does he shouldn't have left where he came from

Lol, I gave that up a long time ago, in my teens.
It was something I used to enjoy doing with my father.
He and my grandparents had large, fairly valuable collections at the time. I was collecting Commonwealth Commemoratives, mostly, and had a friend and his father, who collected, too.
I enjoyed going all over the place on stamp hunts.

I don't remember too much about it, anymore.
All I have left is a Concorde, First Day Cover of the maiden flight.

”High summer (in Malta) can be hot—that’s when expats and locals head to the many beaches.

Not can be hot” - it is almost always too bloody hot ..! And the beaches (such as they are) are pretty lousy - no nice secluded bays and certainly no shade trees. And can you imagine how horrible it would be if what the article says is true and everyone heads for the beaches? Malta has 400,000 people in a tiny barren island much smaller than the Isle of Wight..! It is safe though, I grant that, but so are most islands in the Med. And so is the Isle of Wight, which is also green..!

Shack,
That's sure to make the Maltese Cross!
Troy,
Your dad is right. Philately will get you nowhere! Any Gibbon would confirm that
Stamp hunts? Gave that up a while back when I failed to find a flawless and imperforate Penny Black

Stamp hunts? Gave that up a while back when I failed to find a flawless and imperforate Penny Black

Ha ha :-)
C'mon, Red, those stamp hunts were high adventure, never disappointing!

I remember going to a particular small stamp shop on one trip to the 'States. We crossed the border to downtown Detroit, early 1970's, shortly after the riots.
The older white shop owner was surprised we had dared to come. Nobody comes downtown any more.
Business bad?, my friend's father said.
Yep, gettin' dark all over.
Driving out along Woodward Avenue, the street was lined with the wildest Cadillac and even Lincoln,Pimpmobiles, double- parked. I remember asking why they weren't in trouble with the Police for parking like that.
LOL !!

I can remember in 1950 being taken by my brother to a stamp dealer in Glasgow clutching a fortune...2/6d. He tried to get me to buy British Empire and Commonwealth stamps but of course, I was attracted to the gaudy large Japanese and Italian ones. I discovered the old albums recently and had a look in Gibbon's catalogue...the Bible for those who do not know. Some stamps I had bought for 6d were valued at over £350. Ok you would probably get a third of this if sold, but still a good return on investment
Some of my brother's of the East African colonies would have commanded thousands IF he still had them but his kids dumped them when they reached their teens. I bet they are sorry now.

Was the weather better in those days or was it just because we were young?

I can remember at Easter, we brought out the cricket gear to play in the local park. The actual weather did not matter because it was Easter and that was the start of the cricket season. I had no idea that the weather in the South of England was not the same as in Glasgow...the season had started there so it had to start where I lived. Khaki shorts and a cotton shirt and I wondered why I was frozen in what must have been 6c

Stamp collecting was a great hobby - I still have my entire collection and my mothers too, although I don't think they're worth much except from a nostalgic viewpoint. But I learnt far more from my stamps about history, geography, and politics than I ever did at grammar school and so much more interesting. I even learned who Eva Peron was long before don't cry for me and all that sentimental nonsense. I saw her as a pretty blonde with an angelic smile, - you see, the Peronist indoctrination even worked on me...!

The other great educational hobby was I-Spy - I eventually had and still have about 30 of those little books - boy, were they well thumbed, esp the Cars.

@27 I agree but now it's much easier just to use wiki!
I collect South Atlantic Islands And Antarctica. The people featured on the stamps motivated one to learn more about them and that includes the gent whose name you use

@11 and 15: You might both be right that Montevideo has had an uptick in crime, but I'm sure that it's still nowhere near as dangerous as Buenos Aires, never mind Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Caracas, etc.! From what I've read, Punta del Este is even safer than Montevideo, and in fact, in recent years, Jews from Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo alike have moved to Punta for the reason of safety.